


Starlight

by darkling2222



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 23:33:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13200942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkling2222/pseuds/darkling2222
Summary: Hux's first kiss





	Starlight

Armitage stands alone at the edge of the ballroom, his back against the wall and a drink in his hand. Classical music swells over the crowd, above the low hum and buzz of talk. The glitterati float around, men and women, human and alien mingling together, in all variety of colors and tassels and most of all, diamonds. Armitage stands alone, and comparatively spartan, in his black dress uniform. Attending these social events is the least favorite duty of his position. Armitage knows that he's an efficient leader and an excellent tactician but charm is not his strong suit. He's too serious, too intense and takes things too literally to be very good at casual small talk. He managed to exchange a few terse pleasantries with some of his higher ups and by now he's just waiting to run out the clock until it's acceptable for him to leave.

"Hello" a voice is at his side and he turns to see a young woman. Her brunette hair is tied up in some complicated twist at her neck and her dark blue-black gown is dotted with silver sparkles like stars. She looks about his age, not much older than nineteen or twenty. 

"You’re Commander Hux, right? Brendol Hux's son?" She asks.

"Ah, yes." He answers a bit awkwardly, taken by surprise by her sudden appearance. "And who are you?" She smiles again despite his blunt question.

"My name is Evangeline Rax, I think my father used to work with yours." Her last name surprises him, Rax had been his father’s superior and his mentor. Rax had been the one who had sent the orders to save Armitage from his war-torn planet when he was a child and later had gifted him with command of the child soldiers that had boosted his career. 

"Gallius Rax? I wasn't aware he had a daughter." Evangeline gives him a wry smile.

"Not many people were aware until recently, given that I'm no relation to his widow" It takes him a moment to process her rather strange turn of phrase but eventually he does decipher the euphemism of her illegitimacy. He narrows his eyes at her slightly, it's a strange thing for her to tell him and he can only assume that she mentions it because being bastards is a fact they have in common. He doesn't comment, just nods slightly and takes a sip of his drink. Silence draws for a few moments and they stand together, both alone. A group of Togutras squeeze by and Evangeline presses closer to get out of their way. She gently lays her hand on his arm for a few brief moments. He goes tense, hyperaware of her touch for the short seconds they're connected.

“Would you like to dance?” she asks suddenly, her hand still warm on his arm. 

“Sure.” He’s surprised by his own answer and she smiles, linking her arm in his as they step out on the ballroom floor. As children of the elite, they had both been trained early on in the art of ballroom dance although Armitage rarely applied his knowledge. Evangeline’s hand lays gently on his shoulder and his hand rests on the curve between her waist and hip as the quartet starts up a new song. 

“This was one of my father’s favorite song.” She comments with a smile as they begin their waltz. 

"Mmm." He says, unable to think of anything more compelling to say in answer. She gives a very small smile although it's less for him then it is for herself, a look of amusement in the face of the frustrating task of trying to chat with him. He's not even trying to stonewall her, in fact he rather wants to get more of a read off of Gallius Rax's daughter. He’s just not very good at small talk.

"You work in soldier conditioning, don't you? How does it work?" She asks as they sway and turn in time with the music. She’s more graceful then him by miles, her movements carefully timed and perfectly fluid. Armitage is a good deal less adept, moving with sharp military precision, more of a march then a dance. 

He begins to answer her question in the vaguest terms, the details tend to be unsavory and he doubts she would appreciate hearing them. But it becomes clear quickly that Evangeline is her father’s daughter and she wants to know the truth of it. Her questions are cutting, what’s the best age for soldiers to begin treatment? What drugs do they use? What video simulations do they employ? He slowly finds it easier to speak fluidly, it's easier with a topic he knows.

She doesn't shy away from the horror that most people find in the process although she doesn’t dwell on it either. Like her father she just acknowledges these things as they are. Necessary evils for the sake of the empire, just what has to be done. 

Armitage realizes all at once, as they dance together under the golden glow of the chandelier, that she's rather pretty. Her hooked nose is just like her father's and it's a bit big for her face but her skin and hair look soft and her dark eyes are quick and clever.

Another couple crosses their path and she presses closer to get out of their way, changing her position, her arms threading up around his neck and her body against his. He clears his throat nervously and Evangeline looks up at him, smiling. 

"Has anyone ever told you that you have lovely eyes?" He blinks at her, awkward again, blushing bright, his ears burning.

"Ah, no, thank you, for, ah, saying that though, Miss. Rax." She laughs

"You can call me Evangeline, Commander. Miss. Rax is so formal." She keeps the new dance position even though the intrusive couple is long gone by now "But no one’s ever told you about your eyes?" her smile broadens, almost joking but her voice is soft and genuine, "They're lovely. Piercing, I would say." He smiles a bit in answer. 'A bit' is about as much as he ever smiles after all and she smiles back, triumphant. The moment feels inexplicably intimate as they look at one another, swaying to the music.

The music pauses as the music changes to a new song and so does she. "Would you like to step onto the balcony? It might be a bit quieter out there for us to talk." Evangeline offers, linking her arm with his. He's almost embarrassed by what a limited role he's playing in all this. He's usually so in control and that's how he prefers it, but now he's being led about by this strange girl at a party like a puppy. As they walk, she inspects the military medals pinned to his jacket, playing with the metal between her fingers. "How did you earn all these?"

"I led a fleet on Jakku, there used to be a major rebel stronghold there. General Dylan’s and I flushed the last of them out in May." He says as the pair step out onto the balcony. 

There's no reason for anyone else to be out here with the party in full swing inside so they have it to themselves. It's summertime and even nearing midnight the air is still hot. The view looks out onto the rolling estate of vibrant fruit trees and flower gardens that have all been cared for with all the impeccable care that money can buy. Far in the distance the lights of the city can be seen blinking bright and above all of it is a moonless sky full of stars. Space ships descends from the black of the sky, the light of the ships land in the city like falling stars. 

"It's so flattering to be in the presence of a war hero, Commander." she flirts easily and he just blushes and shuffles his feet in answer, hoping that the dim starlight might hide his awkwardness. She keeps her arm in his as they look out into the quiet night. The sound of the party is muffled behind them, a world away. She rests her head gently against his shoulder and he feels himself blushing further.

"You can call me Armitage, you don't have to call me Commander." he manages to say, his voice rushed and stuttering and quite a few beats behind as a conversational topic. She tilts her head up to look at him but doesn't move from his shoulder. 

"Armitage?"

"Y-yes. My full name is Armitage Hux and you can call me Armitage. Instead of Commander. If you want." He could kick himself for stuttering and babbling, he had led armies into battle without blinking, watched men die in front of him. This behavior was getting just ridiculous. Evangeline just looks at him for a long moment with a smile as if deciding something.

"Would you like to kiss me, Armitage Hux?" His eyes go wide and he can't make his brain work to come up with anything more eloquent then a hushed and desperate,

"Yes" he hadn’t even known this was something he wanted so badly until she had offered it. She smiles again and suddenly her lips are against his. He's never kissed anyone before but it doesn't take long for him to learn. Her lips are soft against his and he's suddenly conscious of how chapped his are. Such a thing had never struck him as important until this moment but now it feels critical. She presses her body against his, one hand on his shoulder and the other tangled in his hair. His arms thread around her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. This is its own sort of dance and it’s so much better than a waltz. He feels like he could kiss her forever under the starlight, just pausing for breath is an agonizing interruption.

The sound of laughter in the doorway breaks the kiss as a clutch of older women stumble out onto the balcony. They catch sight of Armitage and Evangeline and they laugh at the sight of the pair of teenagers hurriedly detangling themselves from the embrace of the other, both embarrassed at being caught.

"We'll leave you kids alone!" one from the group jokes as they step back inside and leave the balcony to Armitage and Evangeline again.

"Sorry about that," she apologizes, fixing her hair although the twist of her braids is unchanged. 

"It's alright." is all he can think to say even though it’s silly that she would be apologizing at all. Armitage just looks at her, her soft pink lips, her cut-glass cheekbones, her soft hair glinting in the silver light as she checks her watch for the time. 

“I need to be going soon. Evangeline says sadly but he’s barely listening. He slips his hand back to her hip, pulling her close again. Her body is hot, her lips so close to his that he can feel her breath. Her brown eyes are locked to his green, their locked gaze crackling with electric intensity. And then they’re connected again, kiss deeper and harder. 

“Evangeline?” someone is yelling her name from inside and Armitage notices that the music from inside the ballroom had stopped; the party must be winding down. When she hears her name, she pulls back sharply as if it took all her willpower to break the kiss and if she waited any longer she wouldn’t be able to do it. She looks back to the doorway where her name came from and then back to Armitage. She smiles ruefully, gently reaching up to brush his hair back into place. “I really do need to be going.” She says, cocking her head toward the noise.

“Are you sure?” he cringes at the tone of his voice, he’s nearly begging her. 

“Evangeline!” the voice is closer this time and it’s as good an answer to his question as anything. 

“Unfortunately, yes.” She answers with a sigh, her eyes staring at his shoes for a moment before flickering up again with a stroke of inspiration. “Here, you can call me later and maybe we can meet up again.” she takes the ballpoint pen out of his breast pocket and scrawls a few numbers onto his forearm. She looks up toward the doorway before she reaches up to give him a short kiss and a smile. “Goodbye, Armitage Hux.” 

“Goodbye, Evangeline Rax.” She smiles over her shoulder as steps out back toward the light of the ballroom. He watches her leave, trying to memorize every piece of her, the braids in her hair, the curve of her back, the way her dress moves when she walks. 

And then she turns into the light and she’s gone.

**Author's Note:**

> I know he's a space Nazi but I get a real kick out of our boy Armitage as an awkward little teen who falls for the first girl who flirts with him at a party. (Also, Armitage and Evangeline side by side is the most cringe-worthy pair of names I've ever seen XD)


End file.
